F-150 fan clutch issue: second act
Re: this first thread, today I got a chance to hitch up and try out my new $2700 repair (torque converter, valve body, cooling radiator unit, misc. new clamp, fluids, and gaskets). This was supposed t...
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After reading through your first post, my though was, right from the start, that the fan is a symptom of something being hot, not a failed part. I think we can all agree at this point that it was/is working just like it's being told to by the ECU.
On this front, checking the cooler is essential. It's possible that the cooler isn't getting fluid to cool (the bad bypass valve theory, and they do, on occasion, fail), the oil-to-water heat exchanger could be plugged/failing to transfer the heat, or the secondary oil-to-air heat exchanger (if so-equipped) could be experiencing the same issues. Without logging their data and being able to compare it to a similar vehicle, they're relying solely on what the ECU can tell them, and all it's telling them is that the fluid is hot; not WHY the fluid is hot.
Troubleshooting the system components should be fairly simple. It can be done remotely with thermocouples, but it's difficult to do and requires a ton of work. Shooting it with an IR thermometer generally provides sufficient information for troubleshooting purposes.
My bet is either a bad bypass valve, or a clogged radiator. I've seen certain kinds of coolant gel in the passages of the radiator, but that was generally only on the diesels, not the gas engines. (Caused by a strange chemical reaction between the coolant and the materials in the system)
Good luck, and keep us posted. The suspense is killing me!!
On this front, checking the cooler is essential. It's possible that the cooler isn't getting fluid to cool (the bad bypass valve theory, and they do, on occasion, fail), the oil-to-water heat exchanger could be plugged/failing to transfer the heat, or the secondary oil-to-air heat exchanger (if so-equipped) could be experiencing the same issues. Without logging their data and being able to compare it to a similar vehicle, they're relying solely on what the ECU can tell them, and all it's telling them is that the fluid is hot; not WHY the fluid is hot.
Troubleshooting the system components should be fairly simple. It can be done remotely with thermocouples, but it's difficult to do and requires a ton of work. Shooting it with an IR thermometer generally provides sufficient information for troubleshooting purposes.
My bet is either a bad bypass valve, or a clogged radiator. I've seen certain kinds of coolant gel in the passages of the radiator, but that was generally only on the diesels, not the gas engines. (Caused by a strange chemical reaction between the coolant and the materials in the system)
Good luck, and keep us posted. The suspense is killing me!!
